Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Circles, Spirals and Lines at CQ Summer School

Another very enjoyable CQ Summer School at Alston Hall - I worked out it was my 6th visit!
This time I was in class with Isabel Dibden-Wright, looking at circles, spirals and lines through a variety of interesting exercises using different drawing media. Quite a change of scale compared to the A1 sheets of paper at City Lit but that had led me to be more adventurous with materials. My favourite from my drawings was the circle of tiny pencil marks ( above), most unlike my usual style. Don't know quite how I'd interpret that in fabric and stitch!

Isobel was excellent tutor, calm and organised, with just the right pace. Every so often she's bring together a selection of different peoples work so we could see the diversity even doing the same exercise. This was even more marked when we moved to fabric , (mine's the JQ sized piece below)

But it's not just about the tuition ( I've done retreats at Alston too ) but the companionship, the wonderful food ( that cheesecake!!) and the lovely setting. I can feel my blood pressure and anxiety drop instantly I see this view. Sue and I just caught the glorious sunset on Friday evening ( with the liquid sound of a curlew - just magic ). I was going to say tranquil but for the noise of the sheep and very loud birds ( even Ian could hear them when I rang him on my mobile) including very plaintive baby owls .

I was up very early on Saturday morning as hadn't slept that well so went and drew and painted by my favourite gatepost! We also had an hours sketching later in the day -looking for those circles, spirals and lines.

My other favourite drawing with a large graphite stick which leaves a lovely sheen- that would be difficult to interpret in fabric too!

Didn't go to my drawing and printmaking class this week- too weary after my weekend with sensory overload but I'll be back for the final sessions next week.